16 PREFACE. 



Sir Joseph Hooker writes : — " The plant, whicl 

 flowered in June 1889, was received by Sir Josepl 

 Hooker from Dr. O. Beccari, through the Marches- 

 Corsi Salviati, of Sesto, near Florence, exactly 10^ year; 

 previously (June 1879). It was then a small seedling 

 which had been raised at the Botanical Gardens a 

 Florence from seeds forwarded by Dr. Beccari soo^ 

 after he discovered the plant in Sumatra in 1871/ 

 The Kew plant did not mature seeds and died afte 

 lowering. A full-sized picture of the species may b 

 seen on the ceiling of Museum No. III. 



Grasses. 



The number of grasses which it is worth while t- 

 grow under glass is not large. Two of the larges 

 Bamboos are noteworthy features in the centre of th( 

 Palm House : — Bainbuaa vulgaris and DendroccdaTnu, 

 giganteus. The former has been in cultivation at Kc\\ 

 from the beginning of the century. The latter, whicl: 

 was one of Wallich's discoveries in the Malay Peninsula 

 reached it later, probably from the Royal Botanic 

 Gaiden, Calcutta. 



In the Victoria House there is growing in the tank 

 a fine specimen of Oynerium saccharoides, the " IJva 

 grass " of commerce. It was sent to the Royal Gardens 

 in 1875 by Dr. Capanema from Rio de Janeiro, and 

 occasionally flowers. It is figured in the Bot Mag. 

 <t. 7362). 



